Week 7 - Idea development and final idea

Now that I had my material sorted out, I started to create rough cuff structures from the aluminium. I experimented with a variation of designs to see which structure would sit on the ear the best. It was also important for me to consider which part of the ear the cuff will attach too. 

I tested out these different designs on my ear. The first 3 designs sat on my ear well but after a little movement they fell off - they were not very stable. Another negative of these designs was that they were not comfortable and made my ear go red. 

To improve these designs I decided to modify the outer edges of the aluminium. The edges of aluminium are sharp so I decided to soften the edges by folding the edge of the aluminium inwards and them filing it down, this ensured that the aluminium would not cut or cause my ear any pain.

I then went on to develop these designs by adding some folds where the ear naturally curves so the cuff would sit comfortably. 

I reached a final cuff design and now that I had the design out the way I could now focus on the technological aspect. As I am only creating prototype I have decided to use a existing bluetooth headphone and attach my design to it. I would have normally design the bluetooth piece myself but as I have limited time and not much knowledge in creating headphones, this is the most logical decision to make. 

I ordered a white bluetooth ear piece from Ebay and worked my design around it. I tried to construct the cuff I had made to the bluetooth ear piece but this process proved to be very difficult. The bluetooth ear piece sits in the ear and the cuff attaches to the edge of the ear and joining these to pieces together while keeping the overall design comfortable was not possible. I then decided that instead of attaching the bluetooth headphone to my design, I need to design the jewellery around the headphone.

I then went on to develop my designs even further and came up with a range of ideas for my prototype. I narrowed these designs down to a final prototype.

Week 6 - Material research - Wire and Aluminium

Continuing on with my material research I wasn't too sure what I what type of material I wanted to focus one. I have already worked with cardboard, Sugru and black wire, however these materials arn't very aesthetically pleasing. Sugru looks rather cheap - almost like a kids toy or rubber and doesn't appeal towards my target audience. I want to use a material that looks elegant and subtle.

I purchased some silver plated non tarnish wire and I was really pleased with the way it looks. I tested the material out by crafting it into some of my design using a pair of pliers. The wire moulded easily and stayed in that shape very well, its very shiny which makes it look expensive.

After testing out the wire, I decided I wanted my product to be made from metal as its strong, easy to work with and also visually appealing. I purchased a 0.05mm sheet of aluminium to test out but as soon as I because to bend it I realised it was too thin, almost like tin foil! I knew that if I used this material, my product wouldn't be very stable and secure, it would be flimsy. The only thing I liked about this material was the way it looked so I decided to purchase it again but in the thickness of 0.015mm. This thickness was perfect! the aluminium was easy to cut and work with and moulded well yet stayed put into the shape I crafted and was secure. I decided to use this material for my final prototypes.

Week 6 - Initial Ideas

After deciding that I want my model to have a cuff like structure, I began to draw out some initial ideas for the cuff alone, the technological part of my design will come later. 

I drew 16 different design all inspired from my previous tasks such as creating the wire models and the Sugru models. I then asked a range of people for feedback on these design. The majority of people picked the more simplistic and intricate designs as their favourite and the least favourite designs were the more statement and bold designs.

This wasn't the response I wanted/ was expecting because creating a more simple and smaller cuff would be harder an it would be difficult to hide the technological part of the product whereas a more bold and statement design would easily mask the technology that would be sitting right in the ear. I took this feedback and decided to focus on a smaller design. 

Week 5 - Sugru Models

After my previous idea not being what I intended it to be, I had decided I wanted to create an ear piece that would be a cross over between jewellery and technology. My research into hearing aids and bluetooth headphones inspired me to create a bluetooth ear piece that looks like an item of jewellery. I thought back to my initial research where I looked at Ringly and was inspired by the fact that it looked like an ordinary stone ring but really there was tech built inside it, discreetly. 

The next step for me that was important was to consider how this earpiece would sit on the ear. Designing a product around the ear is quite a complex and challenging task because of the shape and also the fact that everybody has a different ear shape.

I purchased Sugru which is a mouldable clay that hardens into silicone after 24 hours. I decided to use this material to create various forms on and around to ear to see what would sit comfortably and look good at the same time. 

For the first set of models I created, I rolled the clay into 4 centimetres and then shaped them around the ear. 

These models moulded nicely around the ear but they didn't sit very well and after 30 seconds they fell off. This structure wasn't very stable and in my opinion didn't look very appealing either. Simon, who was modelling these for me, said the design wasn't comfortable and stable, it just felt like something was hanging off the ear. The peer feedback that I received was that the models looked like 'worms' around the ear. These set of models didn't receive the response I insisted so they I went on to try different forms

.

Next I created some forms that cuffed around the ear. 

These sat on the ear very well and didn't fall off and looked a lot better. Simon said that this design was more comfortable and secure and something he wouldn't mind wearing on his ear all day. I asked for some peer feedback for these models. The majority of people said that this design looked better than the last, it was simple yet alluring at the same time. This helped me to narrow my ideas down to a cuff like structure for my design. 

Although the cuff was a success, I still have to think about how the the cuff will link in to the actual bluetooth earpiece that will sit in the ear, this will be my nest task to figure out. Overall I feel that this task was very useful in helping me decide what form my product would take on. Although some of my designs were a failure and didn't work it, this task was an overall success and now I can begin to narrow down my ideas for my design. 

Week 5 - Playing with wire, shadow and light - Materials

Continuing on with idea exploration, I began to test out different materials and assess the different ways in which they can be used. I wanted to work with a flexible material that can be easily moulded around the body. The easier the product is to work with, the more comfortable it will be to wear. I purchased some black garden wire from B&Q and started to play around with it. I created a variety of different shapes, the most interesting one for me was the coil like structure, it almost looked futuristic. 

I then went on to play around with the material on the body. I twisted it around the hands, arm and face. The great thing about working with wire is that you can get the material to sit in every corner and crease of the body. There are no limits. 

Some of the peer feedback that I received from these wire models were that although the wire looks good, it all feels a bit 'loose" and that there needs to be a stronger base to the product. I though about this and agreed. There is going to be a bulk of technology in my product and I need a strong and thick material that will mask this and then I can use other materials such as wire for the aesthetic side. 

Week 4 - Hearing aids and blue-tooth headphones

In order to gain a deeper understanding into the technological side of headphones, I researched into hearing aids and blue-tooth headphone to find out how they work and what they are made up of. 

Hearing aids consist of five parts which are the microphone, the microchip, the amplifier, the battery and the receiver. The hearing aid receives sound through a microphone which converts the sound waves to electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the signals and then sends them to the ear through a speaker. 

Bluetooth headphones work by connecting or pairing with the device you want to use, through a radio or infrared signal. many devices use bluetooth technology to make connecting easier for the user. Devices with bluetooth technology can connect and exchange data over very shorty distances using radio transmissions.

I also looked at what regular headphones consist of because in my final design I would have to show how all these elements will be part of my overall design. 

Week 4 - Experimentation with shapes

To explore an alternative to the regular circular shape of headphones and speakers, I began to play around with shapes and materials physically. I crafted random forms, photographed them and then traced over these images to pick out interesting shapes and lines.
 Some of these objects were rather peculiar and some were just simple forms. By tearing the cardboard in rough strips and then forming them into shapes, I was able to pick out some intriguing lines, many of these lines curved around in loops and overlapped each other. I began to think about creating a structure that moulds around the body and almost becomes part of your body rather than just a bracelet or ring that just sits on your hand.